When three-year-old Brittany Bakenhaster was overheard by her mother, Jamie, struggling to breathe and choking, it only affirmed what Jamie thought might be a possibility. Her little girl was having a grand mal seizure, a symptom of epilepsy.
Bakenhaster knew what the symptoms meant, of course. She had epilepsy as well. But unlike her daughter, she had found some relief with medication. She had learned to manage her condition.
Brittany would not be so lucky. Her little girl’s condition would only grow more severe over the course of two years. She would experience seizures that would become more frequent, eventually forcing her to require 24-hour care. Brittany also lost the ability to speak and would become bed-ridden.
Then came the day when Brittany was hospitalized for a particularly acute epilepsy episode. She was hospitalized for three weeks, and when she was discharged, Bakenhaster was informed by doctors that her daughter would likely die soon.
Bakenhaster was heartbroken and returned her daughter to their home. Even as she and Brittany tried to regain a bit of normalcy in her lives, the fact that she might someday soon lose her daughter weighed over her head.
But Bakenhaster never lost faith. She would pray by her daughter’s bedside, pleading with God to spare her. Her faith was strong, and she continued her vigil over her child.
One morning not long after, the first of two miracles happened. Brittany, who had not spoken a word in months, spoke. Amazed by the change in her daughter, Bakenhaster listened closely.
Brittany’s first word was “Jesus,” followed by the statement that she had seen angels. Bakenhaster was floored by her little girl’s words, but she was not surprised. Still, she was cautious about her daughter’s chances at a full recovery.
Bakenhaster took her daughter back to the doctors. The team told her that her daughter was now healed, an event which perplexed them. Bakenhaster took it as a sign that her prayers had answered.
But a little while later, Bakenhaster would experience her own miracle. After several weeks of experiencing headaches when she took her epilepsy medication, she went to the doctor. She was afraid that her own epilepsy might be worsening and that stronger medication would be needed.
The opposite would be true. Bakenhaster had also been healed from her epilepsy. She would no longer require medication as her epilepsy was now gone.
It has been decades since the miracle healings of both Bakenhaster and her daughter. While no scientific explanation for the disappearance of epilepsy can be offered, both mother and daughter believe strongly that it was the power of faith that healed them. They both continue to pray and praise the higher power that saved them.